


Another Day

by willowthorn



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Multi, Other Pairings Implied - Freeform, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 12:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15291747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowthorn/pseuds/willowthorn
Summary: It’s not quite a family reunion, but it’s close. Today they decide to meet with the sun and the surf on a neutral planet.





	Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> This started as an exercise in movement, but I just finished listening to counter/weight and I was sad about it. So! Beach episode with as many people as I could manage.

There’s a different ending, somewhere between a shuddering disbelief and a stubborn refusal. There’s a different star, this one not so bright and not so near, but warm where it hits the sand, hits the tips of his ears, the curve of his shoulders, and the stretch of his neck as he lays in the sand just past the rocky break of the beach. Mako Trig half watches as his clones - his boys, his kids, his little bundles of joy and anxiety scream as something in the seaweed moves and scuttles towards them. Lazer Ted laughs, neon hair pulled back into a messy knot at the base of his skull. He’s already turning a bit red from the hours spent here, making fine art out of burying Mako from the waist down. He could fall asleep here, the rustle of grass and trees behind him and the blue sky above.

“Sorry, my bad!” One of the kids shouts as he runs past Cass, kicking up pebbles and dirt as he tries to flee his siblings. “If you trip and die I’m not resuscitating you!” Cass calls back, dusting off their sundress even as their webbed toes dig into the smooth stones below, seeking out their cooler depths. There are no shells on this beach, no sea glass, no shards of driftwood. Just the calling of sea birds he does not recognize over the dark blue sea - flecks of black and white riding the persistent breeze. The smell of open water is a welcome familiarity, and they sigh as they make their way past Mako and Lazer Ted to join the others.

Aria is crouched, tongue between her lips as she works with a human Cass has seen but does not know well. Kobus is attentive, equal parts gentle and firm as they build up the sandcastle, nodding happily to Aria’s suggestion to push the tower another hand width taller. “If we get some grass and mix it in that’d help keep it sturdy so we could build it even higher!”

“Ooooooohh! That’s a great idea! You keep building, I’ll go get some!” Aria squeals, zipping away immediately, pausing only to kiss Jacqui on the cheek and grab one of the smaller buckets. Jacqui, to her credit, is only mildly distracted as she smiles wide, pushing the veggie burgers on the grill around absently. She thinks of more delicious things, and promises to take Aria on a walk as the sun sets, when the tide begins to rush in and the rest are busy with fireworks and drinks that burn all the way down, heat lingering in the skin and sand despite the cooler air. She’d wrap an arm around Aria’s shoulders, and it would be really romantic, damn it.

“Grass doesn’t actually help, you know.” Euanthe drawls, splayed out on the sand, thoroughly detached with a hat pulled to shade their face and hide their eyes from the worst of the sun.

“Gross, go dry up and let them have some fun.” Cass says, kicking some sand over the sunning sibling.

“Hey!” They sputter, trying to brush the grit out from between their scales. They had just gotten comfortable. Ok, so they had been laying there for a solidhour undisturbed, but still.

“You deserve it.” Cass can hear Sokrates laughing, drink in hand as they rest under the shade of an umbrella where they lounged swapping stories with Orth. Their tone dips low again soon enough, filling in the details of this paper they had read just last week and how it related to the case Orth had just finished telling them about.

“And you two! So help me if you start talking politics again, you’re both banned from the next time we do this since obviously you don’t get the point of relaxing.”

“Oh go dunk yourself.” Sokrates calls back, Orth suppressing a chuckle beside them.

“Yeah Cass, come dunk yourself! The water’s great.” It’s one of the Trig boys, escaped from the herd to come pull Cass out into the depths. They sigh, and let themselves be physically pulled along until their dress floats around their waist like sea foam. “You can stop dragging me.”

“Can I? Cause for a fish you’re looking reeeeal reluctant to be, y’know, actually doing fish stuff instead of hovering. I thought you said this was supposed to be a vacation! So relax already, dude.” This one must be Thresh - he was always one of the more perceptive ones. Last time they swore he had orange hair. Oh well. They really should suggest the Trigs get readily visible unique piercings - at least those kind of body mods couldn’t be changed so easily.

“Besides, I’ve never actually seen you swim!” Cass sighs. “Fine, just don’t follow me if I go out deeper than you would normally.” They sink low, wiggling out of the confines of their dress before popping up on the other side of Thresh.

“Do you have your goggles?”

“Yes, auncle Cass.” Thresh groans, moving his hair out of the way to snap the small pink goggles in place.

“And you know how to swim.”

“Yes, auncle Cass.” They had all been subjected to lessons as part of their super secret spy training.

“And you’re not going to take photos to sell to weird people on the mesh.”

“Y- No! What the fuck, who does that?” Thresh sputters, pushing the water proof camera further into the pocket of his swim trunks. It was only for taking pictures of neat ocean stuff, he swore. He would swear up and down on the grave of the his third nipple, tragically lost to a piercing gone horribly wrong.

Cass scrutinizes him before nodding, jumping back in a graceful arc into deeper waters. “Hey, wait for me!” Thresh calls, taking a deep breath before jumping in after. The cold water hits him in the chest, nearly startling the air out of his lungs before he sees them. They’re so far ahead already, gliding just above the sand, mottled sun glinting off the scales that trailed down their back. Where Cass can be stiff at best on land, this was something else. They move in slow, fluid motions, brushing their weightless hair out of their eyes to check on Thresh. Simple hand singles convey that they’re going to go deeper out, as as much as Thresh knows he should surface, he lingers to watch Cass kick off, a cloud of sand obscuring them as they rocket forward, looking all the world like they could just disappear into the rocks and sand and seaweed. Thresh really wishes he had brought a boogie board. Or scuba gear. He surfaces, glancing around to orient himself. The beach is a smudge to his water-blurred and rose tinted vision, but he thinks he can see AuDy and Cene putting the last touches on the beach volleyball court. AuDy is bent, dragging something through the sand to define the boundary lines, Cene following after with little neon flags placed on the corners. Jacqui spots a blob of color in the waves, raising her massive arm to flag him down.

“Be right there!” He yells across the waves, figuring this meant the first round of food was ready. If he didn’t hurry, the others would eat everything before him. He ducks his head, trying to see if he could spot Cass before making his way back to shore. Maybe by that clump of kelp?

“Annnd he’s gone.” Back on shore Aria watches the blue haired boy dive beneath the waves again. “Think we should wait?” She turns to Mako, already sitting at the picnic table with burger and chips on his plate. “Naaah, Cass is going to be in there for, like, an hour at least, and Thresh isn’t going to leave without checking in on the, first.” He drawls. “Just save them something and they can heat it up when they’re out of there.” There was nothing in those waves besides small fish and tangles of seaweed unless they swam for literal hours. He had checked, and checked again as part of the planning process. Besides, he really wanted to eat this burger. They had splurged for spicy mayo and he could not pass that up.

“Alright, if you say so.” Aria slides in across from him, own plate piled high. Building castles was hungry work. The table slowly filled, light chatter turning to laughter a elbows bumped and drinks were shared. AuDy watches the waves, marking time between when Thresh surfaces and when he dives again.He’s starting to draw closer, floundering and laughing as he is finally able to touch shore, something or someone tripping him up. AuDy taps Aria’s shoulder as Thresh ends up face down in the surf, Mako collapsing against Lazer Ted, his body shaking in laughter. Aria squeals as Cass surfaces just behind Thresh, hair an unbranded, tangled mess hanging limp over their face and a grin a mile wide. “Your hair!”

“Oh yeah that’s cool, nobody help me up or anything.” Thresh grumbles, flopping down on the sand beside Kobus. “Uuugh remind me not to do that again, I feel like a crusty noodle.”

“It looked fun.” Kobus smiles down at him, cheek resting on their knee.

“Only if you like getting salt in your nose!” He scoffs, rolling to look up at the other human. “Hey, you should come swim with me tonight. Apparently once the tide comes in it gets real quiet, it’s like everything falls away and you’re just floating in this cool void.”

“I’d like that.” They smile, all gentle lines, and Thresh can feel the ache from the long swim easing already.

When they look up, there are two people huddled behind Cass, each working on a separate braid. Their dress had been hung to dry, fluttering slowly in the wind on top of one of the shade umbrellas. Sokrates is patient in their instruction of Aria. She’s far from clumsy with their fingers, but there’s a certain art to setting the braid that brought out the best of their hair texture while still being appropriate. Cass sits calmly, eyes closed as they let their family, blood and bond, play with their hair.

Mako watches for some time, wondering if they would teach him the same if he decided to grow his hair out long, let it brush past the tattoos at the base of his neck, gathering a gradient of colors with each new dying. “Babe, come on! Two on two, winners get to light the first fireworks!” Lazer Ted calls him, waving behind the net with AuDy and Jacqui waiting opposite.

“Oh hell no, I’m not playing against them! Do you see the size of Jacqui’s arms? She could flatten me! And AuDy cheats!” Mako protests, but stands anyway.

“Yeah but... fireworks. You know how I feel about fireworks, baby.”

“Yeah, yeah. Promise me to write something nice for my funeral.” Mako kisses Lazer Ted on the cheek before sinking into a decent receiving stance. “You are so lucky I love you.”

“Yessssss!” Lazer Ted cheers, wiggling into stance before looking to Cene, who clears their throat, ball in hand.

“Alright I want a clean match. Standard rules, no ‘tactical use of sand’, no trying to hack the net, and no bleeding on my volleyball. If your face gets smashed and you have to bleed, call in a substitution or get a new face. You each have one minute to discuss tactics and choose a representative for first volley. Ready, go!” The sun dances of the whistle they blow, two short bursts before they scale the tall chair they intend to use to monitor the no doubt ferocious match. A long whistle signals the start of the match, Aria shouting “Knock them dead, babe!” as the match officially begins.

Mako is going to die. He knows it the second the whistle blows, the second his feet dig into hot sand, and the second he feels the ball thump against his arms with such force it leaves them shaking. He glances around, desperate seconds used to regroup, to form a plan. Against him, overwhelming odds. Against him, shining metal and iron determination to rule the court. He breathes deep. He couldn’t rely on his clones for this. No, he had to stand his ground. Him, the sand, and the sun. Sweat rolled down his back, lines of grit washed away through effort and heat.

“Mako!” His voice beside him sounds like fire, rough and warm in all the right ways. He knows, he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt what Lazer Ted is planning in that moment. He swallows, and nods, hearing the hit of the ball just behind him. Lazer Ted always had his back. He could win this. For Wavy Lazy. For his clones. For twinks everywhere.

The ball is headed straight towards him. This is it. He jumps, arm arching high as he smacks the ball forward, tongue between his teeth as he rotates, using everything in his power to shift the momentum, to bring that ball home.

The ball spins against empty net, and bounces back. Mako sees it in slow time, the rotation all but gone as it begins to drop, as he begins to drop. His heart is in his throat, and in a cloud of sand, Lazer Ted is there, dreads flying loose as he hits the sand, hits the ball.

It flys. It hits the top of the net. Mako is on his back, Lazer Ted on his stomach. It goes over. Jacqui towers over the net, but she dives as the ball rocks over. She hits the sand, and for a moment, all Mako can do is hold his breath. 

“Point.” 

He finds himself in Lazer Ted’s arms, dizzy as he’s twirled. “Shit that was such a good play dude! It worked perfect, god you’re so smart.” Lazer Ted rambles, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“Alright, good play.” Jacqui stands, hand on one hip and ball rested against the other. “Let’s see what else you’ve got.” Her voice is like ice down his back. It begins again.

“As a captain I am legally allowed to perform funerary services. Would you like to be buried here, or on a planet of your choosing?” AuDy ducks under the net as the final whistle blows minutes later, looking down at the lump on the ground formally known as Mako Trig.

“Please... all I ask... is that you play My Immortal by Panic at the Disco as remixed by the Smash Mouth tribute band Skunk 40: Return of the King.” Mako moans, rolling onto his back.

“No. That’s a horrible song.” AuDy leans down, offering Mako a solid hand.

“AuDy it’s my dying wish! You can’t refuse a dead man stuff!” Mako slumps against them, wishing that their chassis was cooler against his already hot skin.

“Yes I can. Go think about your choices.” Mako is dumped unceremoniously next to Cass, who gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and a bag full of ice. AuDy leaves him, returning after a moment with Lazer Ted, who is left on the ground at Mako’s feet for lack of room on the bench. Well, at least it was shady there. Cass places another ice pack on Lazer Ted’s sunburnt torso.

Further down the coast Aria’s hand finds Jacqui’s own. Her eyes are bright in the dimming light, the skies above the sea stained pink and gold and burning orange. She looks beautiful like this, shoulders back and hair tossed, and when Jacqui leans down to kiss her, she can smell the ocean in her hair, feel the grit still stuck to her fingers as Aria pulls herself closer, and she is warm, and sweet, and more than Jacqui could ever hope for. And she was her’s. They press together, Aria’s hands wandering under Jacqui’s shirt as she breaks away for air.

“We should... you should come to my room, after this. God you’re so pretty.” She flushes, pressing back up against Jacqui, standing on her toes to kiss her neck, her collarbone, the rise of her muscles and the slope of her shoulders.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Jacqui purrs, leaning down to redirect Aria’s lips back to meet her own.The rumble of a car passes by on the cliff overhead, a spatter of excited chatter floating through the air to them as the fireworks arrive.

Orth stands near the front of the car, watching the Trigs and AuDy starting to unload the car before he hears the click of the door beside him, a smooth voice floating past. “I made sure to bring a few big numbers, but I picked up some smaller ones for the boys.” A hand wraps around his own, all warm pressure as he helps Attar - no longer Ibex - to his feet. His cane is all but useless in the sand, but Orth’s arm around his own keeps him steady, guides him towards the others. “You should come earlier next time.” He says as they step into the circle of light, floating lamps casting a warm glow around tables, chairs, and towels.

“Ah, but the moonlight is far kinder to me.” He sinks down at the edge of the group, Euanthe on the opposite side of the table from him. He nods a greeting, counting the streaks of grey in the Apostolosian’s braid turning to watch the fireworks setup. Orth moves away, muttering about vanity, about the warmth of the sun, and didn’t roses look best when you could actually see them?

While AuDy was dedicated to setting things up, a circle of rocks designating the ‘do-not-cross-without-consequences’ line, the Trigs were off arguing which order they should set things off in. One had pulled in Lazer Ted, another had wandered off to find Aria. One, blue hair and pink goggles hanging around their neck, crouched with a human instead, a pack of sparklers on the ground between them. Kobus, smiling and laughing without reservation.

And for a moment, Orth pressing a drink into his hand, he thinks this is nice. All the fighting, all the blood, and tears, and sweat, and loss so deep he could still feel it ripping at his gut if he dwelled on it too long, just for this. For the fireworks to drown the startled yelp of Aria as she jumps into Jacqui’s arms, dissolving into laughter as the first explosion blooms a rich forest green, far above them. For the laugher and cheers as the Lazer Ted and the boys work together to set off a round of smaller fireworks, perfectly timed in a waltz step.

Cass and Sokrates huddle together, blanket draped over their shoulders and skirts tangled together as they watch. Euanthe watches them, takes in how the light reveals the time they had missed.

Lazer Ted watches Mako, head tilted at the stars, pale blue skin washed with color as another firework ignites, and feels a thrumming deep in his chest. “Hey,” and that bright smile is turned on him, all curious eyes and open possibilities. “Thanks, for, y’know. This. For bringing me.” And he wants to say so much more, but Mako is taking his hand is his, and he knows that he doesn’t need to, because Mako understands. Mako always understood.

They watch together, all of them, light blooming over cold waters. In time they will go home, taking towels and unopened beer. In time, they will wince at the blisters left on their skin from the heat of the day, the sand now cold and unwelcome hidden in their shoes. But for now, there is laughter, awed delight, and no thought of tomorrow. For now, they simply are alive.


End file.
